BATON ROUGE, La. (KTAL/KMSS) – Gov. John Bel Edwards is expected to address the state’s latest plans for vaccination distribution in a briefing Friday morning on Louisiana’s response to COVID-19.
The briefing is set to begin at 11 a.m.
It is the governor’s first briefing since announcing the extension of modified Phase 2 COVID-19 restrictions for another 28 days, citing a continued rise in cases, positivity rates, and hospitalization rates across the state. It is also his first briefing since President Joe Biden was sworn into office on Wednesday.
During last week’s briefing, Edwards noted the state would be waiting to hear from the new administration before deciding whether to stick with changes to distribution plans recommended by the Trump Administration’s Operation Warp Speed officials. Those recommended changes included making the vaccines more widely available by not reserving the doses they have for second doses and making them available to those 65 and over as well as to those 64 and under with certain comorbidities.
The Louisiana Department of Health reported 3,856 new cases and 59 more deaths from COVID-19 Thursday, bringing the total cases statewide to 378,318 and deaths to 8,442. Of the new cases reported since Wednesday, the LDH says 2,693 were confirmed and 1,163 were probable.
